Blackshirt, my wife and I live in a nice place out in the country. Our neighbors are mostly farmers, and most of them are from one extended family. It's not exactly a high crime area, and it is the type of neighborhood where most would (and should) feel fairly safe.

On the other hand, last year one of the non-farmer neighbors (ironically, a semi-retired deputy sheriff) rode up on his ATV from his back acreage shooting range to find his German Shepherd had cornered a couple guys on his porch. When he asked what they were doing on his property, they told him they were just trying to find an address.

The deputy called his dispatcher, who told him the van and men fit the description of members of a known burglary ring. Sure enough, they were two members of an eight man gang.

So, does stuff happen all that often out in my nice, peaceful neighborhood? no. But that doesn't mean stuff doesn't ever happen because it's basically a nice, peaceful neighborhood.

It also illustrates why I have not only firearms, but also fairly large dogs - as do virtually all my neighbors.